Stories by Ian Pike

Does anyone remember when “bubble tea” was the new hotness? The raging popularity of milk tea loaded with swollen tapioca balls created a niche market overnight, and opened the gate for a bubble bubble, so ...

Little Italy breakfast nook is quite the looker and serves up a tasty sandwich, too

Despite being something of a hot mess in its early days, Harbor Breakfast has gotten its act together. The restaurant gave the appearance of having rushed into opening much later than expected, which barely makes ...

Until contrary information comes to light, the wildly energetic proprietor’s claim that Chi Chocolat’s mocha is “the only one in town with liquid couverture chocolate in it” will have to stand. And what a mocha! ...

Would you look at that. Insects are popping up just everywhere! The Reader’s other Ian gagged on some crickets at Tacos Perla over the summer. Recently, little fried bugs crawled onto the specials board at ...

Brazilian cuisine receives little exposure in the US. Churrascaria restaurants, like Rei do Gado and Fogo de Chao, contribute to the popular image of South American carnivorism, where diners disappear beneath mountains of roast meat. ...

Neighborhood bistro faces memories of Farm House Cafe, and holds its own in the process.

Tempting as it is to mourn the Farm House Cafe’s departure from Adams Avenue until the prophesied reappearance of Olivier and Rochelle Bioteau’s restaurant in larger quarters somewhere far from University Heights, uptown diners ought ...

Solana Beach bar and grill puts a nice face on a good location, even though the menu's a bit dated.

No big-name design firm attached itself to Solana Beach’s Pillbox Tavern, but the group that opened the bar and grill includes plenty of restaurant industry vets, and their collective expertise turned out a nice looking ...

Gift’s got stamina Hillcrest Craftsmen at the Planet Rooth Design Haus make heirloom-quality furniture out of reclaimed wine and bourbon barrels. Elegant in the way that overstuffed classic American furniture will never be. Sturdy and ...

The doorway between the Royal Cafe and the Royal Food Mart in Hillcrest disappeared during the recent remodel. In its place, a bigger menu materialized, replete with more substantial breakfast items (about $6-$10), and some ...

Waffle sandwich emporium provides College Area with exceptional ice cream.

SoCal waffle sandwich chain, Bruxie, has carved out its niche by stuffing lunch meats and fried chicken between slender waffles, marketing the result as, “a new take on The Sandwich.” The most popular item, fried ...

Successful North County pizza joint expands to Hillcrest, sells OK pizza, stays open late on weekends.

Cardiff-based East Coast Pizza’s Hillcrest location is up and running regular hours now, including moderately late-night service (till 2:30 a.m.) on Fridays and Saturdays. ECP closes before midnight other days, but being able to get ...

Are those….Edison bulbs I see hanging from the exposed rafters at Iron Pig Alehouse? The beer and barbecue spot opened in Pacific Beach last month, with decidedly hipster trappings throughout. The wood appears suspiciously “reclaimed,” ...

Six months after taking over the old Sunshine Donuts, Donut Panic still doesn’t have a proper sign. One was delivered, but it didn’t fit, so it had to go back to the manufacturer. Nevertheless, the ...

Yes, Tortas and Beer has killer sandwiches ($5-$7). Pitching superlatives isn’t my style (though fellow local critic Michael Gardiner thinks the house special Cubana sandwich is a contender for best sandwich on the planet, loaded ...

The people who built the Shorehouse Kitchen did a fine job consolidating a handful of separate spaces into one, unified whole. Sitting probably a quarter of a mile from La Jolla shores, the dining room ...

North County stalwart, Swami’s Cafe, must have been dreaming big when they moved into the cavernous space left behind by Casa de Luz following the macrobiotic restaurant’s swift shove-off from North Park. Swami’s Encinitas location ...

Duck wings can suck. Compared to chicken wings, they’re scrawny, and filled with connective tissue, which makes them hard to cook. The extra fat lurking beneath the skin makes it borderline impossible to achieve the ...

Considering how most “craft cocktails” fail to live up to their own audacious recipes, it’s no surprise that beer cocktails suffer the same fate, perhaps even worse. That’s what makes the OB Warehouse’s “Sledgehammer” ($10) ...

French pastry and minimal style from a local caterer's new brick-and-mortar

Totes-adorbs, Euro-chic café, Le Parfait Paris, grand opened for business in the Gaslamp earlier this month. Depending on one’s viewpoint, the decor is either cold and cheerless, or stylish and minimal. One thing is certain: ...

Somebody pulled a burrito switcheroo in Hillcrest. 86 Sloppy’s Burritos, sub Bearito Republic. Allegedly, Sloppy’s owners decided to move to Utah, and the Bearito crew flipped the place over and changed up the concept, albeit ...

Whether the weathermen decide it’s an El Niño year may be perpetually debated, but with reports of wahoo and blue marlin caught off shore, and the confirmed sighting of a whale shark near Catalina Island, ...

Go for the 5-cent wine sale, but don't forget to pick up a few bottles of this classic pop.

Bev-Mo, home of the 5-cent wine sale, stocks plenty of nonalcoholic beverages. Some of those are sodas, and one of those sodas is Moxie, which claims to be the original carbonated soft drink, produced since ...

Rakiraki, Kearny Mesa’s hipster noodle house, has an oxtail ramen dinner on the menu that’s an absolute must-grind. The ramen part is more of the same: Rakiraki’s chicken-based ramen, with its light and surprisingly fatty ...

Gaslamp newcomer, Full Moon Sushi, spent extra time in the buildout phase, but that’s OK, since the restaurant ended up with a very chic look. Mid-century American cues combine with Japanese-ish touches, like the shōji-inspired ...

Convoy's new hipster beer garden could be more than just another trendy pub

San Diego needs another restaurant serving craft beer and tarted-up pub grub like it needs another mayoral scandal. But there’s one neighborhood that’s remained more or less free from badge logos, kale, and people sticking ...

Blush Desserts, new kids in Kearny Mesa, are pushing out cupcakes and French macaroons (all in the $2-$4.50 range) like the end times draw nigh and only a massive influx of glorious, sweet sugar will ...

PB sushi joint expands uptown, brings all the TVs and rolls you can handle

After a protracted remodel, Kato Sushi Hillcrest (a spin-off of the original PB restaurant) opened in time for Pride. The budget-minded sushi joint replaces the failed Pita Jungle, which had already sunk a surprising sum ...

“A lack of coziness.” That’s what I identified as Piacere Mio’s “main weakness,” fourteen months ago, when the place was just a coffee shop. Fast-forward through a prolonged closure/remodel, and the place has transformed into ...

Eater — armed with nothing but a single, snarky graphic — fairly well explained the collective sigh of resignation so many of us heave on entering a new restaurant: we hope to see something inspired ...

It comes as a surprise that North Park didn’t have a hipster ice cream shop before Hammond’s Gourmet Ice Cream opened in the past couple of weeks. But — sporting yet another badge-style logo, minimalist ...

I love craft cocktails because they’re the great American drinking innovation and because they make all my lame jokes seem wicked funny. Coin-Op There’s much fun to be had at this arcade/bar, feeding quarters into ...

Tom n Tom’s Coffee enjoys minor popularity in LA, where Korean communities opened the door to the originally Korean-owned chain of coffee shops. Now, it’s open in San Diego, in the East Village and at ...

North County’s new kid on the block shares space with the luxurious Lofts at Moonlight Beach and the excellent Lofty Coffee Company. Quei Bravi Ragazzi, in addition to being the new cafe’s name, is the ...

Jetpack America Want to feel like Superman? After a training video and in-office instruction, strap on a jetpack and take to the air. During the 15- to 60-minute ride, the water-jetting pack can go as ...

The greatness of the special tasting menu at George's California Modern

“We pride ourselves on not being too stuck up,” explained my server before the first course of TBL3, the exclusive tasting menu at George’s California Modern in La Jolla. “If someone wants plain fish with ...

Cookie purveyors claim to have the "ultimate cookie experience," maybe not so much.

Brick-and-mortar location for the formerly farmers' market only cookie business that grew out of 410 Degrees. Some people seem to like the Cravory's cookies (which include flavors like "pancakes and bacon" and "rosemary-balsamic"), but the reality is that they are little more than underbaked sugar bombs. The price is fair enough ($2 for a cookie), and the people who work there are always super nice, but the cookies just aren't that good, more hype than anything else.

Decent wine list. Cool cocktails. Tasty, cold beers. A few inventive dishes, executed with skill, and some more pedestrian fare for the less adventurous. Nice ambiance, though too dark at night. Competent servers. Really, everything about the Patio on Lamont is what you'd look for at the price point. No disappointments. Worth a drive from outside PB, for sure.

Local brewing titan gives us a menu the kitchen can actually deliver on.

Selective and careful tinkering of the menu at this massive tasting room has made the food offerings from the local brewer a better match for the atmosphere and style of the cavernous beer hall. Prices run on the steep side considering the small portions, but the food has been dialed in to the point where (instead of making a poorly thought-out bid for sophistication) it makes the best out of being honest bar snacks, burgers, and sandwiches.

New Chinese restaurant plays with old favorites without trying to make them more than what they are

After a few months of operation, Lucky Liu’s still hasn’t gotten a license to sell alcohol. Either the ABC is trying for restaurant infanticide, or owner Alex Thao and his associates were overly optimistic about ...

An unexpected bid for fine dining supremacy from a Mexican seafood dynasty

Coming from the group behind the Karina’s Mexican Seafood restaurants, Eastlake’s new Savoie Eatery is...interesting, to say the least. Savoie has prime real estate in the Otay Ranch Town Center mall, which puts it in ...